The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-01-07
RUsE OF A PERs1ANP PRINCE


RUsE OF A PERSIAN PRINCE.
How he Convict ed the Murderers Of an English
From the st. James Gazette.
On the side OF the high road to Shlr
az, thirty miles before the city Is
reached, going north, stands a bare
pole. This marks the place where the
body of Sergeant Collins was found
alter his murder. a..4-s
Sergeant Collins was an inspector OF
the telegraph line, q man OF great per-
sonal bravery. Accompanied by his
wife, two servants, aud two muleteers,
he started on his inspection duty.
Collins was hardly convalescept fepm
a fever attack when he started, and
he had no choice in travelling but to
lie on mattress flung on q loaded
mule. o- s -
At early dawn one day a muleteer
suddenly cried. "Sahib, they have
blocked the road" and looking ahead,
the sergeant saw some men in front
who were covering him with their guns.
| At the same moment these men ordered
him to dismount. Now. the sergeant
| was the best shot in Persia. ."Be Off
he shouted, firing his revolver twice.
The robbers rushed in, firing as they
came; and Collins was hit IN two
places, death being instantaneous.
After beating the ifeless body with
| their iron-headed sticks, the robbers
blindfolded and carried of the wife
and the two servants, OBTAINING them
in dell till after midnight. Esk
At the persistent instigation OF
the English minister ut Teheran, the
Persian authorities arrested the three
principal robbers. Another Of them
committed suicide to avoid capture;
another had died fromsSa gunshot
wound, apparently inflicted by Col,
Inns. But the Persian authorities,
though they had got the criminals in
| Jail. seemed very 10th to bring them
to justice. But at length Mira Has
san Ali Khan, c. S. L., our agent at
Shiraz, succeeded in goading the
Prince Governor, III. r. III. Zl-es-Sul-
tan, into trying the prisoners. o# l
The proceedings were very curious.
There was no doubt OF the guilt OF the
men, but there were no witnesses Of
the murder. The sergeant was dead;
his vile and hlstwo servants had been
| frightened out of their wits, and the
muleteer declared that he could re-
member nothing. The Zil-es-Suitan,
finding that the English minister
would not remain satisfied, ordered
the robbers to be brought before HIM
| The prince governor himself mbodied
the law. Half u dozen courtiers lolled
against the wall, their arms respect
fully crossed upon their breasts. Seat
ed on q silk mattress in a corner OF the
room, his back supported by GOLDEN,
broidered cushions, the young prince
| twiddled his moustache, or played
| with the jewelled hilt OF his sabre, or
toyed with the buckle of priceless
brilliants which formed the central
ornament OF his plain leather waist
| belt. .g'a.5--.i s-z-s..- ns.e.,A..
| The three men were dressed rs vii
layers usually are in tall felt caps and
long felt coats. When they were hus-
tied into the hall OF audience they
were still heavily ironed, for thesemen
are often desperate criminals, ana
would not hesitate for q moment to
murder their jailors If they thought
they would thereby secure chance OF
escape. On entering the royal pres
ence they almost bow to the ground.
''Salaam' they shout in Il kind OF
chorus; your. villager or .tribesman
| never speaks, he always shouts. Glow
do you like PRISON." says the prince,
noddlng to them with smile, Insre-
ply the bandits assert their innocence,
calling ut every sentence upon Heav-
en- and the Prophet. TAre we
not harness tribesmen, we swho live
in your sRoyal slIghness'ss shadow
May we be your sacrilice!,' The
prince still smiles blandly. "Ab,
my friends, says he, ~, too am a
Mussulman. I'VE are all Mussulmans
here; and-and, in iact-an unbelieyer
more or less doesn't much matter.
You have truly done a good deed. I
shall not really punish but reward
you. That you killed thes Feringhi
! there is OF course, no doubt; and so |
must punish you nominally. What I
propose to do is to cut off n Joint OF
one finger OF each OF you. But what
IS that? Nothing. Your dresses
OF honor are ready. You will put
them on and be instantly liberated.
And now, my Children" says the smil.
ing prince, "tell me all about it. How
did you manage it, eh?"
The astonished prisoners received
this speech with a burst OF Joy. All
shouting at once, they hastened to
/ give the prince full particulars. 1.-THE
European fired twice rom one pistol
may we be your sacriiice!-and then
we all fired together, rushing in on him.
He was but European-may your
shadow never be less We trust IN
the clemency OF your Royal Highness!
May we be y your ssacrafice!" "a 8ss
The smile faded from the face oil, the
young prince-governor, his likeness
to the Shah, his father, becoming very
apparent as his countenance dark
ened into ferocity. He had got at the
truth; and, without more ado, nodded
| with appropriate significance to his
chief OF police, the Farrash.bashi a
burly 'black-bearded man who stood
behind the criminals. The prisoners
were removed; they were hurried into
the public square, in which the palace
stands. and there their throatss were
cut. The bodies lay ex posed till sun.
get, q terror to evil doers.
!. A red granite tablet in one of the
Christian churches at Julia, subscribed
for by the engineer officers and non.
commissioned officers in Persia, COM